Mastering Agility Sander Dur and Jim Sammons

SummaryIn this conversation, Joe Krebs joins us at the ScanAgile24 conference in Helsinki. He discusses the concept of Agile Kata and its role in continuous improvement. He shares his passion for this topic and how it originated from his experience with agile transformations. Joe emphasizes the importance of challenging existing processes and habits to drive meaningful change. He also highlights the need for a continuous improvement mindset and the challenges organizations face in embracing it. Joe shares success stories of organizations applying Kata and the potential benefits it brings. He concludes by discussing the importance of building the Agile Kata community and the slow progress in doing so.
Takeaways
Agile Kata is a pattern for continuous improvement that can enhance the world of Agile.
Agile transformations should not be treated as projects with an end date but as ongoing journeys of improvement.
Kata introduces scientific thinking and challenges existing habits and processes.
The biggest challenge in embracing continuous learning and improvement is breaking through existing habits and routines.
Chapters
00:00Introduction and Background
02:24The Importance of Continuous Improvement
04:17The Misconception of Agile Transformation
05:14Evolution of the Talk on Agile Kata
06:12The Challenge of Embracing Continuous Learning
07:40Challenges in Challenging Existing Processes
09:07The Time Investment for Creating New Habits
10:08Using Kata to Improve Business Situations
11:36Success Stories of Applying Kata
13:31Applying Kata in Lean Manufacturing Environments
14:55The Challenge of Having a Continuous Improvement Mindset
15:23The Danger of Zombie Scrum
20:35Challenging the Sprint-Based Approach
24:21Applying Kata in Simple Product Spaces
25:20The Slow Progress of Building the Agile Kata Community
27:35Question for the Next Guest

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Summary
This conversation explores the concept of empathy and its importance in various contexts. Esther Derby gives valuable insights into defining empathy, the possibility of having too much empathy, and practical tips for practicing empathy. The conversation also delves into the role of empathy in product design, overcoming barriers to empathy, and effective communication. Additionally, it highlights the importance of creating a safe environment for empathy and discusses the challenges and benefits of empathy in virtual settings.

Takeaways
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.
Having too much empathy can lead to over-indexing on others' emotions and neglecting one's own needs.
Practicing empathy involves actively listening, asking open-ended questions, and seeking to understand others' perspectives.
Empathy plays a crucial role in product design, customer satisfaction, and effective communication.

7 Rules for Positive, Productive Change: Micro Shifts, Macro Results
https://a.co/d/iUONUbZ

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Summary
In this conversation, Amber shares insights on leading change and higher performance within teams. She emphasizes the importance of inspiring action rather than commanding action, drawing parallels between sports teams and product development teams. Amber also discusses the power of debriefing and learning from failure, as well as the need for effective communication and understanding of technical concepts for different audiences. She highlights the value of asking the right questions to assess baseline knowledge and prioritize information. Amber concludes by expressing her interest in seeing more discussions on talent development and the growth of individuals in the workplace.

Takeaways
Inspire action rather than command action to lead change and drive higher performance within teams.
Debriefing and learning from failure are essential for continuous improvement and success.
Effective communication involves understanding and translating technical concepts for different audiences.
Asking the right questions helps assess baseline knowledge and prioritize information.
Talent development is crucial for individuals to elevate their knowledge, skills, and abilities in the workplace.

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The conversation explores the concept of simplicity and its challenges in various contexts. It delves into the importance of feedback, organizational and cultural change, and the friction between doing the thing right and doing the right thing. The difficulty of simplicity is discussed, along with the power of simple solutions. The conversation explores the importance of simplicity in product development and the challenges organizations face in achieving it. The three main drivers in the workforce are identified as community, cause, and compensation, with their importance varying depending on career stage. Perks and benefits, such as ping pong tables and beer on tap, are no longer sufficient to attract and retain talent. The focus should be on creating work that matters and providing employees with a sense of purpose. Short-term focus and financial stress can hinder organizations and individuals from achieving simplicity. It is crucial to let go of unnecessary tasks and amplify the value of the work being done.

Takeaways
Simplicity is the antithesis to complexity and is essential in various domains, including software development and product design.
Feedback is crucial in achieving simplicity and ensuring that the right solutions are developed.
Organizational and cultural change are necessary to foster simplicity and create an environment that values simplicity.
There is often a friction between doing the thing right (craftsmanship) and doing the right thing (meeting customer needs and business goals). Balancing these two aspects is essential.
Simple solutions can be powerful and effective, and often the simplest solution is the best one. The three main drivers in the workforce are community, cause, and compensation, with their importance varying depending on career stage.
Perks and benefits are no longer sufficient to attract and retain talent; the focus should be on creating work that matters and providing employees with a sense of purpose.
Short-term focus and financial stress can hinder organizations and individuals from achieving simplicity.
It is crucial to let go of unnecessary tasks and amplify the value of the work being done

Check out our sponsors:www.wiserbees.comwww.xebia.comwww.scrummatch.comwww.masteringagility.org

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Summary In this conversation, Sander and Don discuss their journey in public speaking and share their experiences and insights. They talk about how they started doing public speaking, the challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned along the way. They emphasize the importance of having a supportive network, being open to feedback, and continuously improving their presentations. They also discuss the cultural differences they encountered at different conferences and the impact of their talks on the audience. They conclude by sharing their plans for the future, including exploring speaking opportunities outside of the agile community. Keywords public speaking, journey, challenges, lessons, feedback, cultural differences, networking, improvement, future plans Takeaways Start doing public speaking by finding a supportive network and being open to feedback. Continuously improve your presentations based on feedback and lessons learned. Be aware of cultural differences at different conferences and adapt your approach accordingly. Engage with the audience and create a dialogue during your talk. Explore speaking opportunities outside of your comfort zone to gain new perspectives and experiences. Check out our sponsors: www.wiserbees.com www.xebia.com www.scrummatch.com www.masteringagility.org Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:00 Starting in Public Speaking 10:30 Supportive Network and Structure 13:20 Lessons Learned and Continuous Improvement 21:30 Choosing Conferences and Networking 25:40 Feedback and Integration 31:00 Future Plans and Topics

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SummaryIn this episode, Goiko shares his experiences and insights on visualizing specifications, writing Specification by Example, and solving communication problems in software development. He discusses the challenges and patterns in the adoption of Spec by Example and the importance of identifying bottlenecks and visualizing problems. Goiko also talks about causing organizational change and the evolution of software development solutions. He concludes by discussing the promise and reality of no-code tools and sharing his recent work and projects. The conversation explores various themes related to software development and its impact on organizations and society. It discusses the power of expressing human knowledge in software and the role of visualization tools in increasing shared understanding. The shift from specialists to generalists in the software industry is examined, as well as the potential for smaller organizations and general-purpose work. The conversation also delves into the role of AI in minimizing political games in organizations and the responsibility of software professionals in creating good software. The need for spending more time on edge cases and negative use cases is highlighted, along with the societal impact of bad software and the potential for IT to become a profession. The conservation and shifting of complexity in software development is explored, and the conversation concludes with a discussion on the impact of shoddy software on people's lives.
Takeaways
Visualizing specifications can help improve understanding and reduce rework in software development.
The adoption of Spec by Example and other agile practices can be hindered by organizational politics and resistance to change.
Identifying bottlenecks and visualizing problems can lead to effective solutions and improvements in software development processes.
No-code tools have the potential to democratize software development and empower non-technical users to create automation. Visualization tools like FigJam and Zeppelin increase shared understanding in organizations.
The software industry is shifting towards smaller organizations and general-purpose work.
AI cannot eliminate political games in organizations, as they are driven by cultural factors.
There is a need for more focus on edge cases and negative use cases in software development.
The responsibility of software professionals is to create good software and address the societal impact of bad software.
Gojko's booksCheck out our sponsors:www.xebia.comwww.wiserbees.comwww.scrummatch.comwww.masteringagility.orgSound Bites
Chapters
00:00Introduction
01:21Visualizing Specifications
03:04Early Experiences with Software Quality
04:09Solving Communication Problems
05:31Validating Real-World Usage of Spec by Example
06:29Getting Permission from Companies for Case Studies
08:28Persistent Challenges and Positive Patterns
09:49Adoption of Given-When-Then and Consolidation of Tools
11:42Identifying Bottlenecks and Visualizing Problems
13:01Causing Organizational Change
14:09The Challenge of Change Resistance
16:30The Evolution of Software Development Solutions
26:48Goiko's Recent Work and Projects
35:26The Power of Expressing Human Knowledge in Software
36:03Visualization Tools and Increased Shared Understanding
37:27Specialists vs. Generalists in the Software Industry
38:49The Shift Towards Smaller Organizations and General Purpose Work
41:49The Role of AI in Minimizing Political Games in Organizations
42:54The Responsibility of Software Professionals in Creating Good Software
51:01The Need for Spending More Time on Edge Cases and Negative Use Cases
53:31The Societal Impact of Bad Software and the Role of Governments
57:41The Potential for IT to Become a Profession
01:01:29The Conservation and Shifting of Complexity in Software Development
01:04:43The Impact of Shoddy Software on People's Lives